Portland Community College secured $1.2 million in state funding to expand semiconductor training programs that serve Bethany-area families.

The grant, awarded in April 2026, will grow PCC's dual-credit programs for semiconductor training and expand its 10-day Quick Start Semiconductor Technician Training program. The money comes from a $10 million state investment tied to a partnership between Gov. Tina Kotek and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, first reported by the Oregon Capital Chronicle and republished by the Portland Tribune.

But a central piece of that partnership has stalled. Nvidia paused its AI ambassador program in spring 2026 before certifying a single new ambassador in Oregon. The program was supposed to train college faculty statewide as company-backed AI instructors. Of the $10 million, $1.5 million earmarked for the ambassador effort remains unspent, according to Endi Hartigan, a spokesperson for Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC).

Ashley VanEssen, a spokesperson for Oregon Institute of Technology, said faculty there received an email that Nvidia was "restructuring the program internally." She told the Oregon Capital Chronicle, "To my knowledge, our faculty have not received any additional updates since then."

Nvidia confirmed the pause. The company did not explain why.

The Oregon Department of Education said it has no plans under the agreement, according to spokesperson Liz Merah. Luke Harkins, a spokesperson for Kotek's office, said the governor supports the original goals of the deal.

The semiconductor grants, though, are moving forward. PCC is one of eight recipients sharing $8.5 million through the Frontiers of Advanced Semiconductor Technology (FAST) program, a coalition of nearly 100 businesses and public organizations led by Oregon State University.

PCC's Quick Start program requires only a high school diploma or GED. As of fall 2024, it had graduated 391 students, 77% of whom were women and people of color, with a 66% job placement rate. Entry-level semiconductor technicians can expect $18 to $24 per hour, according to PCC.

One graduate is Emily Peng, a Bethany resident who landed a job at Intel after completing the program. Peng said in a fall 2024 PCC profile that she never expected to work at a company like Intel but did exactly that after Quick Start.

The Beaverton School District already sends juniors and eligible seniors to PCC full time through its Early College High School program, with tuition covered by the district. PCC's grant is earmarked partly for dual-credit expansion, though the district has not announced whether semiconductor courses would be added for its students.

Oregon's semiconductor sector, known as the Silicon Forest, exported $11.4 billion in computer products in 2025, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The FAST coalition also received $15 million in National Science Foundation funding in July 2026, with the potential for up to $160 million over the next decade, the Portland Tribune reported.

No timeline has been announced for when Nvidia's ambassador program might resume or when PCC will begin deploying the new grant money.